After scoring his eighth goal of the season with his familiar celebration, Eberechi Eze received some teasing from Mansfield fans. The Arsenal midfielder just smiled back, and the home team fans also responded with friendliness.
That is completely deserved, because Eze's beautiful goal decided the match. At the same time, Mansfield's fighting spirit also deserves to be respected.
In the familiar atmosphere of the FA Cup, Mikel Arteta being forced to put Eze on the field also partly shows how much difficulty the League One team has caused. Although Arsenal is still rated higher, this match continues to show the depth of the squad and the diversity of age in the "Gunners'" force.
Arteta gave the opportunity to two 16-year-old players, Max Dowman and Marli Salmon, to start from the beginning. On a rough pitch, where the grass is quite sparse, this is clearly not a familiar environment for young players who are used to more ideal playing conditions.
That has sometimes been clearly revealed. The pitch in League One is not a suitable place for technical handling or backheels, which Dowman and Salmon quickly realized. However, before Salmon made a mistake leading to Will Evans' equalizer in the second half, both still had a very encouraging performance.
Arteta's decision to let two 16-year-old players start is a bold decision, even unprecedented for a Premier League coach in any league.
That risk almost was rewarded right from the first minutes. Dowman took advantage of goalkeeper Liam Roberts' unsafe pass, but missed a very clear scoring opportunity. The young midfielder's regret after this situation shows the high standards he set for himself.
Dowman has long been considered a great talent of the Arsenal academy, and when he caught up with the intensity and playing style of the opponent, he proved his qualities.
As expected with players who grew up from Arsenal's training academy, both Dowman and Salmon showed impressive fitness compared to their age. At the end of the first half, Salmon even took the lead in the dispute with Rhys Oates - a 31-year-old striker who has played for many clubs at EFL.
However, Arsenal's defense is not always solid. Oates caused no small difficulty before Noni Madueke opened the score with a beautiful left-footed shot after a combination with Gabriel Martinelli.
That goal was also Arsenal's 100th goal in all competitions this season. Up to now, Arteta's team has played 46 matches, won 35, drawn 8 and only lost 3 matches - all from late goals conceded.
Notably, Arsenal's 100 goals this season were scored by 19 different players, showing the diversity in the team's attacking ability.
In the first half, Arsenal faced up to 11 shots from Mansfield - the most in a half of their season. Therefore, it was not surprising that the home team equalized right at the beginning of the second half.
A mistake from Salmon's weak pass created conditions for Will Evans to rush down and finish coldly, defeating goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Immediately after that situation, Dowman was the first to approach and encourage Salmon. This young midfielder then almost corrected his teammate's mistake by breaking through the Mansfield defense, but Roberts made an excellent save.
The home team's goalkeeper continued to have many impressive saves, but Eze's shot could not be prevented. That was a classy finish, enough to decide the match against a Mansfield that played bravely.
